Abbey of San Martino in Campo

An interesting Romanesque building, a place of peace and prayer in Capraia e Limite

Capraia e Limite

50050 Capraia e limite FI, Italia

The Abbey of San Martino in Campo in Capraia e Limite, founded as a Benedictine monastery in the 11th century and almost entirely rebuilt in 1100, was probably originally a hospice, a resting place for pilgrims. The original images on the pillars in the cloister and the traces of many frescoes that decorated the inside the church are interesting to look at.

The interior conserves a fresco depicting the Madonna Enthroned with Saints Anthony, Martin, Nicholas and Lucia. The work, dated to the 15th century, is attributed to a Tuscan painter who worked in the late Gothic style. On the beautiful 14th-century sandstone door to the abbey, there’s a coat of arms of Matteo Frescobaldi, who was once the abbot at the monastery. His family received the building’s possessions once the monastery closed down, and they maintained it until the 1600s.

The abbey is located in an interesting position: found on the hills between Artimino and Carmignano, the latter is a DOCG wine territory and is still today the perfect place for finding peace and surrounding yourself with nature. Thanks to the lastest restoration, you can now stay overnight near the abbey in a guesthouse just like medieval pilgrims once did.

Capraia e Limite, in the Empoli territory, comprises the towns of Capraia Fiorentina and Limite sull’Arno, with two unique but important histories.
Limite is closely tied to the nearby Arno: in this stretch of the river, the shape of its route was beneficial for boaters, who were entrusted with transporting goods to and from the sea. ...